Local 'Save the Triple Lock Campaign' launched

A meeting attended by people from Donegal, Derry and Sligo was held on Monday, 2 November, to establish a local campaign opposing the Defence Amendment Bill.

The Bill will remove the requirement for a UN mandate for Irish military missions overseas. This UN mandate is one of the three safeguards that make up the Triple Lock, alongside Cabinet and Dáil approval. Together, these safeguards protect Ireland's military neutrality.

The Government is aggressively pushing this legislation. It has guillotined debate in the Dáil and, throughout the process, has been misleading and disingenuous in its arguments.

The Save the Triple Lock Campaign is part of a growing national movement opposing the Defence Amendment Bill.

Two major national protests are planned in Dublin: On November 12 at 1pm at The Spire, O'Connell Street. EU leaders will be meeting at the Convention Centre. On November 21, there will be a national march with further details to follow.

We encourage everyone who supports Irish neutrality and opposes the removal of the Triple Lock to join the campaign and take part in these protests.

Ireland's neutrality belongs to the people. It must be defended.

The Government asks the Irish people to trust it with our precious neutrality, while simultaneously declaring that, in this "changing world", it is unrealistic to regard neutrality as a static policy.

This ad hoc approach to neutrality has no mandate from the Irish people. This is precisely why neutrality, as a steadfast principle, should be enshrined in our Constitution.

The threat to Irish neutrality comes at a time of increasing EU militarisation, growing threats of war with Russia and plans to increase military spending by billions of euro.

Ireland needs homes, not bombs. We need to build hospitals, not bomb them.

So why is our Government in such a hurry to remove the UN mandate?

One possible explanation lies in the future of the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) mission, in which Irish troops have served for almost half a century. Under pressure from the US and Israel at the UN Security Council, the mission is due to expire at the end of this year.

The Government wants to send Irish troops to a new EU Special Mission in Lebanon (EUSM Lebanon), which does not have a UN mandate and is described as a peace-enforcement rather than a peacekeeping mission.

To facilitate this, the Government needs to remove the Triple Lock.

The stated aim of EUSM Lebanon is to assist the US-aligned Lebanese Government in disarming Hezbollah. Coincidentally, this is also a stated objective of Israel.

If the Triple Lock is removed, the Government, with its Dáil majority, will have the power to take Ireland across the neutrality line, leaving the Irish people with little say in the matter.

Senator Eileen Flynn, who attended the meeting, pointed out that the Seanad has the power to stop this Bill. She urged the group to prioritise putting pressure on Senators, both locally and through the Oireachtas, to persuade them to vote against the legislation.

The group intends to follow her advice and maintain pressure on Government TDs, alongside pursuing a range of other agreed actions.

Anita Villa, who also attended the meeting, expressed a fear that will resonate with many Irish parents and grandparents: "I really worry for my grandchildren that they could be sent out to kill and be killed in imperialist wars, if this legislation goes ahead."